Become a Principal in New Hampshire - UVEI - Upper Valley Educators Institute

Overview

UVEI offers a Curriculum and Assessment Specialization option as an enhancement to our Principal Internship Program. This specialization leads to a recommendation for a Director of Curriculum license in Vermont and may be taken while in the internship program or afterwards, as a graduate. For more information, click here or call us at 603 678-4888. An explanation of the admissions process and the C&A Specialization application can be found here.

Requirements

To earn this specialization, candidates will have to meet the following requirements:

1. Complete the Principal Internship Program

2. Complete the "Instructional Program Analysis Performance Assessment" (which is part of the Principal Internship Program) at the level of "applying" or above

The Path to Certification

The UVEI model differs from most university graduate programs in education. Believing that school leadership is an art best learned through practice, UVEI's Principal Internship Program involves day-to-day involvement in administrative work with the mentor who has been selected in consort with the intern and UVEI faculty. Our mentors come from among the best professionals in the region. While our focus is mainly on the pragmatic aspects of leadership, interns are required to develop a well-defined vision of how a great school operates, and to conduct a school change project that involves a broad constituency of the the school and commmunity. By the end of the program, graduates have studied and have had administrative experiences in most of the topics traditionally addressed by the syllabi of more conventional administrative certification programs.

Principal Licensure

UVEI is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) and approved to recommend principal certification by the State of New Hampshire and the State of Vermont's Standard Board of Professional Educators.

VT Director of Curriculum License

UVEI offers a Curriculum and Assessment Specialization which leads to a Vermont Director of Curriculum license. This program may be done during one's internship or afterwards, as a graduate. For more information, click here. An explanation of the admissions process and the C&A Specialization application can be found here.

Great Leaders for Great Schools

The internship placement is the heart of the UVEI experience and allows for in-depth, experiential and highly personalized leadership development. Elementary and secondary principal interns spend the school year working alongside their mentor and other administrators. The intern's administrative responsibilities expand gradually and deliberately. Interns work with department or grade level teams, observe and evaluate teachers, participate on school improvement teams, handle student issues, collaborate with parents and community agencies, attend district-level administrator and school board meetings, serve as the LEA at special education meetings, monitor activities before and after school, and function as the principal when the building administrator is absent.

The program thus introduces interns to the realities of the principal's world.

The Upper Valley Educators Institute is committed to great teaching and learning, and prepares people with strong ideals and diverse experiences for careers as inspiring and transformational school leaders. UVEI's current class of principal interns carries on this tradition of excellence. They have solid academic preparation and a wealth of experience as teachers and teacher leaders. Interns typically are employed in positions such as Assistant Principal, Vice Principal, Dean of Students, Athletic Director, Coach, Technology Specialist, grade team leader and classroom teacher.

The Current Class

UVEI's Principal Class of 2018 continues to attract talented educators who wish to assume leadership roles in schools. This group's candidates for certification are both classroom teachers and administrators, including two Assistant Principals, a Behavior Specialist and teachers who have assumed leadership roles, such as Head of Department.

This photo of interns and UVEI faculty was taken at orientation in August.

Our Graduates

Fifteen individuals graduated from the program in June 2017, representing a completion rate of 100 percent. Many are in administrative positions and several are classroom teachers with additional administrative duties. On average (Classes of 2014-2016), 86.74% of our graduating alumni were placed in leadership positions within a year of graduation.